Rangebred
by Sonofthebattle
Summary: They were unloved and unwanted, on their way to death when a kind soul stepped in to take them in. She never realized, that they saved her as well.
1. Prolouge

This _is_ and Outsiders fic, although it might be confusing.

Our three main characters are Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy, but they are horses, not humans. They exibit the characteristics and "color" of the original characters. They are rescued and taken in by Ann Hathaway, a 35 year old mom, whose love of horses makes her respond to a rescue radio call about a horrific trailer accident. To tell more, would be giving away the story. This story is similar to the book Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards, because that was my inspiriation.

To understand this story, you have to read the prolouge. The prolouge to told through Darry's eyes, but he will not be referred to as Darry, because he is not named yet. He will be referred to as _he_ and _the stallion._

Happy reading!

**Range-bred**

**Chapter 1: Prolouge**

It was dark. The trailer underneath his feet swayed as a ship in a seastorm. The air around him was stuffy, the other horses much too close for comfort. Al least there were'nt any horses on top of him, some others in this metal Hell weren't so lucky. But it was important that he was able to stay on his feet, that he could stay his ground.

His main concen was for his mother. He had kept a vigil over her since they had been seperated from his father. How long ago it was, he could not tell. Maybe weeks. But he took his fathers place and kept an eye on his mother and younger brother.

His mother was obviously in pain. There was something wrong with her, but he couldn't tell what. It was a miracle that he could see her at all, but the sunlight shone through small holes in the double-decker trailer. Of course, the sun made the heat in the trailer nearly unbearable at the same time. Horses around him were being to fall.

He turned his attention back to his mother. The palomino mare was drentched in a sweat, and pawing the ground with her hoof feebly. He sensed that she wanted to pace, to move, but she couldn't in these close quarters. He nickered encouragment to her, hoping to calm her bewildered mind with his voice.

It did no good. The mare snorted, her eyes wild and glazed at the same time. She had little energy left, but her son refused to believe it. He was here, and he wouldn't let her fall. Neither would he let his yearling brother, a young buckskin colt, fall. The yearling was standing beside him, leaning onto his shoulder. He still had strength, but the trip was begining to wear on him too.

The stallion watched his mother, as her whinnies grew more and more pain-filled. He realized, in horror that she was slipping away. His nickers became desperate, urget.

_No! _he called out against her. _Don't go!_

_I can't _the mare groaned back. She lurched on her feet, and nearly colasped to the floor. She stubbled towards him, her giant stomach swinging with her. She pressed her face up against his. She wanted to give up, to die, but she couldn't yet. She had to see one more to the world.

The stallion nuzzled her face. He felt better when she relaxed. He had no idea what was happening, but he started when the mare lurched again, and fell to the floor. She whinned weakly to him, and he paid no attention what was happening _with_ her. He only wanted her back on her feet.

He lowered his head to hers and pushed at it, hoping to get a response. She raised her head and whickered softly. He threw back his head in agony.

_No! _he screamed at her. _Get up! Don't leave me! Don't leave us!_

The mare looked up at her two sons terrifed eyes, and shurred as the last contraction ripped through her. Feeling that it was all over, she made one last movement, a sharp twist and a snap was heard. She relaxed, thankful that her job was over. She looked up at the young stallion and whickered on last time.

_Watch over them,_ she rasped. _Both of them. _Then, with a final sigh, she lay completely still.

The stallions eyes widened in fear. He nipped at his mothers mane, gently at first, then hard, with deperation. He whinned shirly, not daring to believe the truth. He watched her, hoping for a sign of movement. When he saw none, he lifted his head and closed his eyes, letting lose a bellow that shook those around him. The buckskin colt started in fear, but he didn't seem to notice. He shoved at the palomino's body, but it didn't budge. He closed his eyes and took in a shaken breath. But then, he noticed something else.

Behind the mare, was a tiny light bay foal. The foal faltered, swinging his legs around. It squealed, unable to get to it's feet.

The stallion was bewlidered by the foal. But as it squealed it fear, something in his mother's last wish flickered in the stallion. He stepped over the mare and nudged the foal. It's fearful eyes turned to him, and the stallion stared back. The foal's eyes were dark and soft.

The stallion waited only a second. His mothers words were echoing in his head. _Watch over them both._ Both of them. Not just the buckskin, but this new foal as well.

Hardly thinking about what he was doing, the stallion stepped over the mares body and stood protectivly over the foal. The buckskin colt followed, keeping his self pressed against his older brother.

The foal relaxed, feeling protected with the larger stallion over , ahim. The stallion relaxed too. He blocked out his feelings of pain and sorrow. With his two brothers safe by his side, and stood firm, refusing to budge.

He assumed his new position.

--

The trip was horrindous. The horses swayed and stumbled, fighting for a grip on the steel surface of the trailer. But they did not speak a word. They were too weak, too deyhdrated. To them, this was a test, one that they had to pass to live. Some did, others didn't.

Unknowingly to the stallion, the newborn foal had buried it's way to it's mothers still-warm stomach, and found her small amount of milk still there. The foal took it's first meal with vigor, and slept with peace afterwards. Depsite his ordeal, he seemed to be fighting to live.

The stallion was unaware of the length of the trip, he only knew that it was taking forever. He was concered about the small foal, and he wanted the drivers to let them out. He ached for food, water, and personal space. This trailer was becoming worse by the second.

He was just begining to become desperate for change, when the trailer rocked, and in slow motion, began to flip. The sound of scraping metal echoed throughout the trailer. Horses, who only seconds before had been deprifed of movement, scearmed and kicked in terror. The stallion braced his self, refusing to move for the sake of his brothers. He waited for the trailer to come to a stop as it slid. Horses around him were falling, thrown by the force of the collision.

But the mare's body acted as a sheild, preventing other horses from falling towards the other three, even though she was still. Even in death, she was unknowingly protecing her ownspring.

There was shouting of human voices and squealing brakes as the trailer came to a stop. It felt as though it had struck something too big to budge. The stallion snorted, as the other horses around him remained motionless. He could hear others getting up and moving, but he could not see them. He lowered his head, and found the small foal, amazingly unharmed, but frozen with fear. The buckskin seemed unable to stand the shock, he lay beside his younger brother. His breathing was quick and his eyes were wide. The stallion nuzzled him for comfort, then turned to the foal. It was being to become weak with hunger. It desperatly needed food, but the stallion had none to give it.

The sound of the trailer being opened, caught his ears. He could see little, blocked by the sight of other horses, but he could hear two human voices that intrigued him. It was not the voices of his captors, who sounded rough and hatefull. Theses voices were soft and gentle. He waited, and watched, but little happened.

After what seemed like forever, he heard sirens in the distance. An ambulance and fire truck arrived, as did voluteers. A message had been sent over the radio for people willing to foster horses from the accident. Bring your trailers, and hurry.

People began unloading live horses and removing dead ones. As the foster people and their trailers arrived, papers were signed and horses were sent off. The rescue organization at the head of the corp was promising to contact owners later, to get them surrender papers and fiancial help. But for now, people rushed away to save these horses, whose trip to the slaughter house was brought to a stop when the driver of the trailer hit an eight-teen wheeler.

But the stallion was hardly aware of these things. He was hungry and tired, and ready to get into the fresh air with his brothers by his side. He moved a bit and shoved at the tiny foal. The foal attemped to stand, before falling on its face. The stallion nudged it again, many times, until it finally stood on its thin, wavering legs. It leaned against the stallion for support, sandwhiched between the stallion of the buckskin, who had scrambled to his feet when the trailer opened. The three waited, patient but desperate, surrounded by other animals, as the rescue workers worked to get through fourty horses to them.

Will this newborn foal survive? Will any of them survive?

Next chapter indroduces Ann Hathaway!

Please write a review!

- PM


	2. Refuge

**Chapter 2: Refuge**

"Easy, easy boy," Mary soothed, trying not to further upset the stricken horses as they emerged from the trailer. They had been at this for hours, and they had yet to reach the horses at the very back of the trailer. In all her years as a rescue worker, she had never seen a something like this. Nearly half of the horses were dead, and the ones that were alive had horrible injures. Policemen kept the traffic going away from the wreck, only letting in people with trailers that had come to haul away horses to help.

The workers had nearly reached the end of the load, though. Mary felt relieved. She was sick of this. This was the worst she had ever seen. Many of the workers jumped up as the next horse led out of the trailer reared on his rope and tore away from his handler. Nearly every hand turned and shot after the poor chestnut who scearmed in fear and pain.

She turned to her coworker, twenty two year old Paul Benson. He shrugged at her. "There's only of few horses left," he said in a weary voice. Mary nodded as the a foster trailer pulled up. Paul went over to the driver, so she took in opun herself to grap a leadline and bring out the next horse.

Inside the darkness of the trailer, she made out a dark horse standing near the back. Behind him was a horse laying down, and beside him was a yearling colt. Mary spoke in a soothing voice, chattering nonsense to the horse so that he wouldn't bolt of the trailer.

To her surprise, the stallion turned his head and nuzzled something beside him. She stepped close and saw that a tiny foal was leaning against the stallion, between him and the yearling. Dumbfounded, Mary moved closed and reached slowly for the stallions rope halter. The horse never protested, he let her hook the rope to him with a fight, She gave the rope a tug. The stallion walked along, but not before he nugded the foal and yearling in front of him. Mary stopped momentairly. She tried to nuidge the two other horses back, to stop them from following. But they whinned in fear at being left behind, and the stallion eyes filled with fear. So she let them followed and all three calmed down.

Still amazed at horses acting this way, Mary led the stallion out with the two colts in tow. Paul and a woman she didn't know were the only ones in sight.

"Mary this is Ann Hathaway. She's a foster owner," Paul explained.

"Nice to meet you," Mary said. She motioned to the three horses. "They followed him out. Won't leave his sight," she explained, turning to Paul. "Can you hold them while I load him?"

Paul nodded, and Ann stepped forward.

"That's my trailer," she motioned to a large, white slant load parked nearby. Mary nodded, and started over, tuggin the stallion's lead line. He took a step forward, before he noticed that the two foals were not following. He turned to Paul pushing them towards the trailer.

The stallion stopped and let loose a blasting whinney, which the yearling colt returned. Paul was unable to block the strong youngster, and it broke from him and trotted to the stallion's side. Mary tugged at the stallion's head, but his eyes were locked on the foal. Paul was holding the foal with both hands, and Ann restrained the yearling, grabbing his halter and pulling puching him towards the trailer. Mary pulled the stallion, and he became desperate, nickering to the foal who returned his call.

Ann was paling, as the horses whickering cut through her emotions. "Let him go," she exclaimed to Paul. "I'll take them all," she said, turning to Mary, a plea in her eyes. The horses fear at being pulled apart ripped through her heart.

Mary stared at her for a moment before turning to Paul and shrugging. He released the foal, who stumbled at the sudden moment. Almost unable to hold hiself, he stumbled forward, towards the stallion, whose eyes never left the foal.

The light bay reached they, burrowing his head into the stallions dark shoulder. Ann took in a sharp breath, waiting for the stallion to react. Never, had she seen a stallion take this type of treatment. Usually, stallions were brutal to foals, baby sitting was left to the mares.

But the stallion simply lowered his head and nuzzeled the colt's coat. He raised his head and stred at Ann, as though in graditute.

Ann watched as Mary and Paul carefully herded the horses towards her trailer, Mary with a hand on the stallion's halter. The foal and yearling followed willingly.

Paul stepped aside as Mary securred the horses and bolted the trailer. The two nodded at Ann, and Mary walked towards the people in the distance that were returning with the chestnut horse in tow.

Paul turned to Ann. "Somebody will stop by later with their names and registration and such." he mumbled. "After we get this mess sorted out," he sighed with a nod at the trailer.

Ann nodded, making her way to the front of her beat-up red pickup. "Sure," she replied, afraid to say more. Already, the calamity of the event was threating to overwhelem her as she wished desperatly for David. But the thought of her husband constricted her throat, making it impossible to speak.

She opened the cab of the truck, pulling herself inside and slamming the door. The sound seemed to echo through her heart.

The trailer was almost too quiet. She expected the horses inside to make more of a fuss, to kick around and disturb their surroundings. But all was quiet. She was relectant to go home, to face that empty house, to face the care that theses horses were going to need.

One look at the damaged trailer sent her on the road.

--

The truck and trailer ratteled down the gravel road. The barn and main house was insight, and Ann gave a relieved sigh. As awful as it would be to face this day, this reality, she was happier if she could do it at home, not on a crowded highway.

A single horse dotted the many paddocks in view. A coal black gelding, Dallas Cowboy was the family's only remaining horse from the stock that used to populate the farm. But when David lost his battle with cancer, the animals had to be sold to pay the bills. It was a heart-wrenching time, but Ann scraped and scrimped to keep Dallas.

Colorful and competative, Dally loved barrel racing. Once he stepped into the ring, he became a terrifing competator, speeding around his black legs ablur as he whipped around barrels with his ears flat back. In victory gallops, he was the picture of excitment, tail high and streaming, head high and eyes bright, ears picked as he galloped. If he was ever forced to gallop behind another horse, he would pin his ears and intimidate the other horse. His nature was exburent, but they loved him for it.

As she pulled the trailer up beside the barn, two teenagers came from the house. Ann felt herself elate at the sight of her two children.

Tall and dark haired, William deep blue eyes reminded everyone of his father. At sixteen, he was kind and confident and a quality horseman with their gelding, Dally, but usually let his sister handle the competative side of things.

Andrea was a mirror image of her brother, long dark hair, but chocolate brown eyes that could be melting or smothering. Three years younger than Will, she had found a competative edge with Dally, and competed with his whenever possible.

The two hurried over to the trailer, and Ann jumped out of the truck to greet them. They both saw her, and Andrea rushed over.

"Mom!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her mother while Will grinned at a distance. Ann realesed 'Andy with reluctance. Although it had been a few months, she still felt empty when she let them go, like she did when she had let David go for that last time...

Ann shook herself from her dark thoughts and turned to Andy. "How was school?" she asked with a teasing air.

"Who cares?" Andy replied, her eyes dancing. "Do you get a horse, Mom?"

Ann nodded, nodding to the trailer. "Yep." she replied. "But be careful," she added as Andy started to the back of the trailer. "There's more than one."

Will gave her a questioning look and Ann returned it. She had always seemed closer to Will, who shared her sensible and logical ways, while Andy had inherited her fathers carefreeness.

"More than one, Mom?" he asked, his eyes hinting at so many things that Ann simply nodded and walked to the side door of the trailer which Andy had already opened and was peering into.

"Special conditions," she explained, looking inside.

The three horses started back to the three humans. The stallion was standing protectivle over the light bay foal, who leaned against him, his eyes half closed. The buckskin colt was busy sampling a cross tie. He paused to gaze over the new people, the returned to chewing. He seemed content and happy, unlike the foal.

The foal tiny rib cage heaved, and he whickered weakly. Ann felt a stab of empathy. The foal was obviously a newborn, and she wondered what had happened to his mother. Had she been killed by the wreck?

The foal whickered again, slidding to the floor. He was very weak and still. Ann turned and called back to Will and Andy as she rushed for the barn.

"Watch them. Keep the foal alive. I'm going to call the emergancy vet."

--

Ok, so that was a bit boring, but I had to introduce the characters. Sorry there wasen't more of the horses, but there will be in the next chapter.

Poor little foal! cough Ponyboy. cough

Please R&R!

- PM


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